Google’s Pixel 3 is $150 more expensive

Google’s Pixel 3 phones sound like solid upgrades, but there’s one change that might not have you racing to place an order: the price. The new Android flagships start at $799 for the base 5.5-inch phone, or a $150 jump over the Pixel 2. The Pixel 3 XL, meanwhile costs ‘just’ $50 more than its ancestor at $899. And you’re not getting any additional storage for the money, either, since both the 2017 and 2018 Pixels start with 64GB of space. You’ll now have to think considerably more carefully about leaping in, especially when the price gap between the regular and XL models has shrunk to just $100.

More importantly, you now have to consider the competition that much more carefully. If you’re paying up front, Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and LG’s G7 offer larger screens and a few clever tricks (such as variable aperture and dual rear cameras) for $50 less. That’s not including aggressively priced hardware like the OnePlus 6 and the upcoming 6T. And of course, your options widen further if you’re not wedded to Android. Who knew Apple’s iPhone XR would sound like a bargain at $749? While the Pixel 3 does have plenty of tricks that might justify the outlay, it’s not as easy a choice as it once was.